BYLAWS OF THE CTS 
(CLERICAL, TECHNICAL, SERVICE) 
STAFF COUNCIL 
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY 

Last Amendment Approved (11/25/2019) 

I. PURPOSE

As the official representative body of clerical, technical, and service employees of Southeast Missouri State University, the CTS Staff Council, hereinafter referred to as the Council, shall work within goals and guidelines established in the Mission Statement of the University toward the primary purpose of the University, which is quality instruction.  

The Council provides an appropriate forum to discuss matters involving CTS staff; to review policies and procedures pertaining to CTS staff; and to develop and submit formal recommendations for new policies or changes in existing policies pertaining to CTS staff.  

The University President’s hope is that the Council will serve as a vehicle for enhanced communication between clerical, technical and service staff and administrators in areas concerning, but not limited to, institutional policies and procedures, benefits, salaries, and other areas governing the University that may arise; to encourage the use of the talents and resources of CTS staff to support educational programs and institutional initiatives; to foster, develop and strengthen the skills and professionalism among CTS staff; and to reinforce the importance of clerical, technical and service employee contributions to the University.  

Representation will include full-time and part-time regular and term CTS employees who shall be eligible to serve as voting representatives and alternate representatives. Alternate representatives may cast votes only in the absence of a voting representative. The Council shall consist of no less than 17 clerical, technical, and service representatives (excluding members of the bargaining units) from across the University and no less than 2 alternates. To provide continuity of leadership, all representatives will hold two-year terms. Nine (9) representatives will be elected in odd years and eight (8) in even years. Alternates will hold one-year terms.  

Terms shall commence at the first regular meeting of the Council immediately following elections, which are held in April of each fiscal year, and continue until the first regular meeting following elections two years from that time. No representative may serve more than three full consecutive terms as a voting representative but may stand for election as an alternate.  

Vacancies of representative positions on the Council shall occur due to: 

• Resignation from the University 
• Resignation from the Council 
• Transfer to a position within the University which lies outside the clerical, technical, and service areas of the Council (e.g. transferring to professional or bargaining unit)  
• Removal from office by Council vote 

A vacant voting representative position shall be filled by one of the standing alternates as voted by the Council. If there is no one available, then a request will be made to the CTS employees for the need of a representative. Nominations will be taken and an election will be held. If there are not enough candidates to have an election, the person nominated will receive the position by acclamation, with approval by the Council. The new representative will finish out the term of the vacated position and may run again in the next general election. If there are no nominations, that position will be left vacant until a representative is found to fill the position.  

The Elections Committee shall conduct all elections. General elections shall be held annually in April. Requests for nominations will be submitted to CTS employees when vacancies occur. Members may nominate themselves or other staff members. The communication will list those employees not eligible for nomination. Nominees will be asked if they wish to serve before their names are placed on the election ballot. An election ballot which lists the candidates nominated for the positions will be available to CTS staff employees via the CTS Staff Council web page and/or by email. Each eligible employee shall be allowed to cast a number of votes equal to the number of open positions for council members. Candidates will be ranked by number of votes from greatest to least. Positions will be filled by candidates receiving the greatest number of votes in rank order until all positions are filled. In case of a tie vote, a run-off election shall be conducted. Following elections, the Elections Committee shall notify the Council and the newly-elected members of the election results.  

A member will be removed from the Council by a majority vote of the Council for failure to attend three (3) consecutive meeting. A member can resign from the Council by submitting a written letter of resignation to the Chair.  

III. OFFICERS 

The officers of the Council shall be Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and the Immediate Past Chairperson (ex-officio). These officers shall constitute the Executive Committee.  

The officers of the Council shall be elected by and from its membership. The election of officers shall be held at the first meeting of the Council following the regular annual election. A representative must have served one year on the Council immediately preceding the current election to be eligible for the office of Chairperson or Vice Chairperson. The term of all officers shall be one year. No chairperson may hold the position for more than two consecutive years.  

A vacancy on the Executive Committee shall be filled by a special election by and from the membership of the Council at the next regular meeting. Alternate representatives are not eligible to vote. A vacancy shall occur upon the resignation of an officer or the removal of an officer. Removal of an officer from the Executive Committee requires a petition listing the grievances against said officer and a majority vote of the Council by secret ballot.  

The Chairperson shall serve as presiding officer of the Council; shall issue notice of any regular meeting and a written agenda for each meeting at least one week before the meeting; shall see that the Council properly carries out its duties and purposes; shall report all known activities and matters of concern to the Council; and shall be the official representative of the Council to the administration of the University. The Chairperson shall also serve on the University’s Budget Review Committee.  

The Immediate Past Chairperson shall assist the new Chairperson throughout the year. The Immediate Past Chairperson will serve on the Council as an ex-officio member.  

The Vice Chairperson shall serve as Chairperson in the absence of, or at the request of, the Chairperson; shall serve as parliamentarian and shall know the Bylaws and ensure that the Bylaws are observed at meetings; shall serve as ex-officio member of all Standing Committees (attendance is not mandatory unless requested); shall serve as Chairperson for the unexpired term upon the vacancy of the Chairperson position; and shall keep the official copy of the Bylaws and provide the Council with timely notification for updates or amendments. The Vice Chairperson shall also serve on the University’s Budget Review Committee and the Benefits Review Subcommittee.  

The Secretary shall keep, file, and distribute official minutes of the Council. Minutes shall be distributed to representatives and alternates within one week of the meeting.  

The Treasurer shall be the fiscal officer and keep a record of all monetary transactions; shall present a financial report at each regular meeting; shall serve as a member of the CTS Budget Committee. Expenditures shall be budgeted and approved by the Council. Any expenditure not provided for in the annual budget requires approval by the Council.  

Alternate representatives shall not be eligible to serve as an officer of the executive committee.  

Fifty-one percent (51%) of the Council shall constitute a quorum. Voting membership is defined as all representatives who are in attendance and any alternate who is in attendance filling in for an absent representative. No vote shall occur without a quorum.  

The first Council meeting of a new term shall be an organizational meeting. The organizational meeting shall be chaired by the Immediate Past Chairperson for the election of new officers. Upon election, the new Chairperson will assume the Chairperson’s duties. A schedule of regular meeting times shall be determined at the organizational meeting.  

The Council shall meet at least once a month. The regular meeting schedule, determined at the organizational meeting, shall be followed except when there is a majority vote by the Council to cancel or reschedule a meeting. Regular meetings of the Council shall be attended by all voting representatives and alternate representatives. The alternate representatives will only vote in the absence of a regular voting representative. CTS employees are strongly encouraged to attend any regular meeting of the Council and to voice an opinion upon recognition by the Chairperson. 

Items for the agenda should be submitted to the Chairperson no later than two weeks prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting. It will be the responsibility of the Chairperson to prepare an agenda and distribute it to the Council one week prior to the regularly scheduled meeting. The agenda provides for discussion of items from the floor; however, no substantive (as opposed to procedural) item is voted on at any regular meeting that has not been placed on the agenda in advance in the manner described in these Bylaws unless the majority of the Council representatives approve.  

A vote will be taken for each substantive (as opposed to procedural) item. There will be no more votes cast than there are representatives on the Council. Upon the request of any member of the Council at a meeting, the vote upon any matter shall be taken by secret ballot.  

Special meetings may be called when business matters arise that need attention prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting. These meetings are scheduled at the discretion of the Chairperson, by a majority vote of the Council members during a regularly scheduled meeting, or upon a written request signed by at least three Council representatives. The Chairperson will, within two days, call for a special meeting of the Council to consider the matter(s) specified in each request. This meeting is to take place no later than one week after issuance of the notification. Discussions during special meetings shall be limited to agenda items only. Special meetings shall be attended by Council representatives and others who are requested to attend by the Executive Committee.  

Standing committees shall be Executive, Budget, Elections, Public Relations, Staff Development, and Compensation and Benefits committees. Standing committee members will serve one year. If deemed necessary, other standing, ad hoc, or special committees may be formed by a majority vote of the Council.  

Each standing committee chairperson shall report on committee activities at each regular meeting of the Council. Standing committees shall serve to make recommendations to the Council concerning committee responsibilities.  

The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the Council: Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, and the Immediate Past Chairperson. The Executive Committee shall meet once annually to draw up a slate of standing committee chairpersons for approval by the Council.  

The chairperson of each standing committee shall be a Council member. The chairperson of each standing committee will select committee members subject to Council approval. Standing committee members may be Council members or anyone from the clerical, technical, and service staff.  

The Budget Committee shall be responsible for preparing the annual budget request and presenting it to the Council for approval.  

The Elections Committee shall conduct all necessary elections for representatives and any votes of confidence which may arise. The Elections Committee Chairperson shall keep the official Council member list and record of representatives.  

The Public Relations Committee shall be responsible for stressing the importance of clerical, technical, and service staff members’ contributions to the University. The committee will draw up a welcome letter to distribute to new employees to acquaint them with the functions of the Council and revise this statement as necessary. The committee shall be responsible for all publicity concerning Council activities. These activities include website management, marketing updates, newsletter, listserv emails and new employee gift delivery.  

The Staff Development Committee shall be responsible for developing and strengthening skills and professionalism among staff by offering seminars, workshops, etc. The committee shall also be responsible for writing grant applications, for any activities related to staff education, for the coordination of Staff Day activities and service projects.  

The Compensation and Benefits Committee shall be responsible for those areas concerning personnel issues. The Committee will review the Business Policy and Procedure Manual Section 3, Personnel, make recommendations as necessary, review the fringe benefit package,  

and investigate alternative programs. The committee shall also annually review internal and external salary policies to determine inconsistencies and make recommendations for proposed changes. The committee is also responsible for developing any request that is submitted to the Budget Review Committee and Benefits Review Subcommittee. The Chairperson will also serve on the University’s Benefits Review Subcommittee.  

Standing committees may be assigned duties in addition to those listed above as necessary. 

A proposed amendment shall be presented in electronic or written form by any representative to members of the Council at (or prior to) a regular meeting of the Council. The proposed amendment shall be read and considered at the regular meeting and voted on at that time.  

An amendment requires a simple majority vote of the Council for adoption. Following Council approval, an amendment shall be presented to all the CTS staff for approval by a simple majority vote. Upon the approval of the CTS staff, the amendment will be submitted to the University President for consideration. If approved by the President, the amendment shall become part of the official Bylaws.